The Good Place.... A (Really) Good TV Show.

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just sharing my thoughts on something that's really made me smile 😊

Hi Honeys
Have you been bewitched by The Good Place yet?

On 13th December last year Channel 4, here in the UK, began screening season one, having spent the previous couple of weeks teasing audiences with a trailer.  From the first time I saw the trailer honeys I was hooked!

Wait a minute though, I'm assuming that everyone has watched this fabulous new sitcom and maybe you haven't seen it?  Just in case, I promise I won't allow any spoilers in this post 🙋

Let's take a closer look shall we?

Welcome!

Everything is fine. 

The first episode opens with a close up on the eyes of one of the central characters, Eleanor.  She opens her eyes to find herself in an almost empty waiting room.  She's sitting on a small sofa and there is the very subtle sound of trickling water in the background.  On a large bare wall in front of her are the words "Welcome! Everything is fine." in large letters.  Eleanor smiles. 

A door opens and Michael appears, asking Eleanor to come into his office. Michael explains to Eleanor that she is dead.  She has moved on to the next phase of her existence in the universe.  Eleanor's reply is "cool."  We find out that Michael has designed the "neighbourhood" that Eleanor finds herself in.  He tells her that she is in the good place.  

The good place of course is heaven.  

Characters

Eleanor Shellstrop

Eleanor is, as we find out from several flashbacks to her life on earth, not someone you'd expect to pass the rigorous tests of character required to win a place in the good place.  In fact she is shown to be uncaring, rude and incredibly selfish. Something is clearly amiss.

As Michael talks about her life on earth we find she's not the selfless lawyer who works to get innocent prisoners released from death row or takes part in humanitarian missions to help children that Michael thinks she is. Of course Eleanor is aware of this too but can't exactly tell Michael.  Who would want to ask to be sent to the bad place or hell?

Chidi Anagonye

Chidi is everything a resident of the good place should be.  He is kind, generous, honest (to a fault) and has spent his life on earth seeking the truth through his study of ethics and philosophy. He was, in fact, a Professor of ethics and moral philosophy.  He is also (at first) delighted to find that he is Eleanor's soul mate.  During Michael's short introductory film, shown to the new residents of his newly designed neighbourhood, Michael had explained that every resident will meet their true soul mate there.

When Eleanor and Chidi are introducing themselves to each other, Eleanor tells Chidi that she's not a human rights lawyer, she hasn't been to the Ukraine, she hates clowns and that there's been a mistake, she doesn't belong in the good place.  Understandably this leaves poor Chidi confused to say the least.

Tahani Al-Jamil 

Tahani is a beautiful, well educated socialite who is used to moving in the highest circles of society.  She spent her time on earth raising a great deal of money for worthy causes as well as having held the positions of, she tells Eleanor, "a model, a museum curator and an "it" girl.... oh and I was Bazz Lurhmann's muse for a while..."

While appearances might suggest that Tahani had the perfect life on earth, we discover that she grew up very much in the shadow of her far more accomplished sister.  Her parents made no secret of the fact that Tahani was not their favourite.  In fact, in their will they misspelled her name! 

Jianyu Li 

Jianyu is a Buddhist monk who has taken a vow of silence, he has not spoken since the age of 8 we are told.  He is also Tahani's soul mate and lives with her in the enormous, grand palace they share immediately next door to Eleanor's far smaller home or "tiny adorable little cottage" as Eleanor describes it to Michael.  

Jianyu too has a secret.

Janet

Janet isn't a person.  She is, as she describes herself in the first episode to Chidi and Eleanor, an "informationial assistant."   Janet has access to all of the knowledge of the universe.  She can also immediately provide the residents of the good place with any items, such as clothing or favourite foods, they wish.  Janet initially acts as Michael's assistant in the day to day running of the neighbourhood.

Michael

Michael tells Eleanor he is an architect and the designer of the neighbourhood our characters find themselves in.  This neighbourhood, one of many different neighbourhoods that exist in the good place, is Michael's first sole project and it is vitally important to him that it is a success.

Michael has a secret.  Be prepared to go back and watch all of the episodes again when you find out what it is, just to make sure 😊

The Plot (no spoilers.... promise!)  

All four of the protagonists in the story, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jianyu, are dead, the series tells the story of how they each navigate their afterlife, as well as brief flashbacks to their lives on earth and how their experiences there made them each who they are.  

Had they met on earth it's very unlikely they would have been friends, in fact it's very unlikely they would even have met at all since they moved in very different circles of society.  In the good place though they find themselves very much needing each other.  

Without giving away any of the story line, which I wouldn't want to ruin for you honeys, Eleanor convinces Chidi to give her "good person" lessons to allow her to be able to stay in the good place, after some misgivings he agrees and she attends philosophy and ethics lessons with him each day to improve her character. 

That's it! That's all I can say without spoiling any surprises and certainly not the ending of the first season which was a complete shock as well as a total game changer!  Seriously honeys, you'll watch the series till the end of episode 13, see the last 10 minutes or so and immediately want to watch them all over again.  When you do watch the series over again you'll see every action, every character in a whole new light.  It becomes something completely different to the series you previously watched, you'll see 😊

Summing up... 

There are genuinely no words for how much I adore this series honeys, so much so that having watched the first episode, I couldn't wait for the episodes to be screened each week to see them so having found out the first season was already available to buy on DVD I ordered it and binge watched episodes two through to thirteen in an afternoon! Only to re-watch the whole series with Hubby again later that evening 😊

It was a torture worthy of the bad place itself to have to wait the 5 weeks or so until last Monday for the season two DVDs to be released (I'd pre-ordered our copy as soon as I found it online) but so, so worth it!  Hubby and I settled down to binge watch all of season two in one evening (lasting a little over five hours) and both loved it as much as the first season.  Now I'm constantly checking to see if Season three is available to pre-order 😊 

The Good Place has to be the most original, the most quirky, the most fun new series I've watched in ages and if you haven't seen it yet I would absolutely recommend it ★★★★★

If you'd like to see a tiny glimpse of what's making me love this series so much you can find a trailer here.  Why not stock up on frozen yogurt and enjoy this fabulous wee series 😊

Have you seen The Good Place?  Are you a fan?  Do you have a favourite character?  Till next time dear ones, smile lots and hug even more, huggles x